Paraffin cleaner for tubing



May 15, 1962 Filed July 7, 1960 H. H. REYNOLDS PARAFFIN CLEANER FOR TUBING 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Horace H. Reynolds INVENTOR.

BY mu awe; 3%

May 15, 1962 H. H. REYNOLDS 3,034,581

PARAFFIN CLEANER FOR TUBING Filed July 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 v J Fig. 2

I I /4 I 54 5 I I Horace H. Reynolds R INVENTOR.

8000 22 BY pawyfiMg y 1962 H. H. REYNOLDS 3,034,581

PARAFFIN CLEANER FOR TUBING Filed July 7, 1960 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. 4

Horace. H. Rey-holds United States Patent 3,034,581 PARAFFIN CLEANER FOR TUBING Horace H. Reynolds, P.0. Box 412, Waskom, Tex., assignor of twenty-five percent to Flint Berlin, Shreveport, La., and twenty-five percent to Rex Houston and twenty-five percent to Rex Houston, trustee, Henderson, Tex.

Filed July 7, 1960, Ser. No. 41,283 13 Claims. (Cl. 166-474) This invention comprises a novel and useful paraflin cleaner for tubing and more particularly rel-ates to a means to automatically eifect in a greatly improved and more efficient manner the cleaning of accumulations of parafiin from well tubing as occasion requires.

-In many locations in the oil fields of the United States and other countries there is from time -to time a periodic accumulation of large amounts of paraflin forming within the tubing or flow line of the oil well. This accumulation of paraifin reduces the cross-sectional area of the tubing gradually throttling the flow of oil therethrough and thus lowering the production of the well to an extent that in time production from the well becomes unprofitable, especially in the case of a pumped well, or even ceases completely. When this condition occurs the operator must employ one or more of a number of conventional manners and methods for removing the accumulation of parafiin in order that the production from the well may be again restored. Most of these paraffin removing procedures are in themselves quite expensive, or are quite time-consuming resulting in a prolonged cessation of production from the well, or both.

It is therefore the primary purpose of this invention to provide a means whereby the periodic accumulation of paraflin in the tubing of wells may be easily and effectively removed with a minimum requirement of labor and with a minimum interruption of the production from the well tubing.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a means whereby the cleansing of the parafiin accumulation within a tubing may be expeditiously effected as a substantially one-shot operation.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a tool whereby the tool may be readily dropped or lowered through the tubing and through the paraflin incrusted material thereof to a position at the bottom of the tubing string or any other depth desired and whereby the use of natural fluid pressures developed in the well bore or supplemental fluid pressures applied thereto may be employed for effecting the return of the tool up the tubing to the surface and effecting a cleansing of the inmay be ettected thereby facilitating the insertion of the tool into a paraffin incrusted tubing string; and upon longitudinal contraction of the sections with respect to each other the diameter of the tool may be increased thereby rendering the tool operative to cut and cleanse the parafiin incrustations from the interior of the tubing string.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a view in vertical section, parts being broken away, and showing a portion of a tubing string and the manner in which a paraifin cleaner in accordance with this invention may be operatively associated with the interior of the tubing string, the position of the device being shown in full lines for its introduction into the tubing string, and being shown in dotted lines in position for its removal from the tubing string during the cutting operation therein;

FIGURE 2 is a View in vertical section taken upon an enlarged scale and showing the position of the sectional tool when the same is in its extended position for lowering into a tubing string;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the position of the sectional tool when the latter is in its longitudinally contracted position in readiness for operation of cleaning and removing paraffin incrus-tations from the wall of the tubing string;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view partly in elevation and partly in vertical section through a portion of two adjacent joined sections of the tool and illustrating the position of the parts when the tool is longitudinally collapsed and radially expanded into its operative position;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the position of two adjacent joined sections of the tool when the latter is in its longitudinally extended radially contracted position for insertion into a tubing string;

GURES 6-9 are detail views in horizontal sections taken substantially upon the planes indicated by the section lines 6-6, 77, 8-4; and 99, respectively of FIGURE 3 and showing the relative position of adjacent joined sections of the longitudinally extensible and radially retractible tool; and

FIGURE 10 is an exploded perspective view of a portion of the two adjacent joint ends of two adjacent sections of the tool.

terior of the tube from the paraflin incrustations during such upward travel.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a tool which will enable the extent and etlicacy of the paraflln cleansing operation to be readily varied as desired for a particular tubing to be cleansed as by the addition of sections to the tool thereby increasing the amplitude of its cleansing operation.

A still further important object of the invention is to provide a tool for cleansing paralfin from well tubing in accordance with the foregoing objects which shall economically consist of a plurality of standardized uniform sections except for the manner of attaching the sections to each other in end-toend alignment in progressively rotationally spaced positions.

It is a further and specific object of the invention to provide a tool in accordance with the preceding objects consisting of a number of longitudinally spaced sections which are coupled to each other in such a manner that upon movement of the sections into an extended position of the tool a decrease in the over-all diameter of the tool In FIGURES 13 there is shown a portion of the well bore 10 in which is disposed a tubing string -12 through which petroleum is to be produced from the Well. It is to be understood the principles of this invention both as to the tool and the process of cleaning parafiin deposits from the tubing string are the same regardless of whether the well is of the self-flowing type and relies upon the formation pressure for efiecting flow of the petroleum upwardly through the tubing string; or is of a pumped type in which either a pumping means or a fluid drive or the like are employed to effect the production of petroleum therefrom. In either type of well, the same problem of accumulating deposits and incrustrations of parafiin upon the inside Wall of the tubing string occurs which necessitates periodic removal in order to continue production from the Well.

Indicated generally by the numeral 14 is a paraifin cleaner in accordance with the principles of this invention which is effective for expeditiously and efliciently removing the parafiin incrustation from the interior of 3 the tubing string in a manner to be subsequently set forth.

Briefly, there is provided an elongated tool consisting of a series of longitudinally aligned substantially identical sections which are jointed together in a manner to permit limited longitudinal movement of the sections towards and from each other and whereby such movements result in a radial movement of the sections with respect to each other. Use is made of this construction to effect a longitudinal extension of the tool when the latter is suspended under its own weight from a conventional gripping or fishing device 16 engagingthe conventional fishing neck 18 upon the upper end of the tool. By this means the tool in longitudinally extended and radially collapsed position may be readily lowered downwardly through the tubing string until the same rests upon a suitable stop means in the tubing string or upon the standing valve therein. Alternatively, the tool can be dropped into the tubing string until it reaches the desired position. The full line showing of FIGURE 1 designates the lowering of the tool into the tubing string with the tool in its longitudinally extended and in its radially contracted condition.

After the tool has been placed in position, the wire line or other means for lowering the tool into place, if such was employed, is released and removed. Thereafter, as pressure accumulates beneath the tool in the bottom of the well bore either by an accumulation of the formation pressure if the same is a flowing well or is produced by a water or gas drive, or by other pressure imposed thereon as necessary, a compressive force is exerted upon the bottom of the tool which tends to push the same upwardly. This force together with the weight of the tool causes the sections of the tool to be longitudinally collapsed or compacted upon each other. This longitudinal movement of the sections toward each other is utilized to effect radial displacement of the successive sections of the tool in such a manner that the tool is caused to in effect radially increase in size and thus engage the wall of the tubing and of the parafiln incrustations therein. Thereafter, the increase of pressure below the tool will force the latter upwardly towards the surface as indicated by the dotted arrow 20 in FIGURE 1 and by the arrow 21' in FIGURE 3. The corresponding downward travel of the tool is shown by the arrows 22 in either FIGURES 1 and 2.

The tool is so constructed that upon its upward travel numerous cutting edges thereof engage and slide against the wall of the tubing string and cut and cleanse the parafiin deposits and incrustations therefrom pushing them up ahead of the tubing where they are discharged from the upper end of the tubing string.

If desired this process may be repeated until the desired cleansing of the paraflin deposits has been effected. In general, however, the paraffin removing efiectiveness of the tool will be varied by decreasing or increasing the number of joint sections attached together rather than by repeating successive trips of the tool.

From a comparison of FIGURES 2 and 3 it will be seen that the tool illustrated therein consists of four jointed sections as indicated generally by the numerals 30, 32, 34 and 36. As above mentioned, the number of sections may be increased indefinitely in order to correspondingly increase the paraflin cleaning capacity and performance of the tool.

Referring to FIGURE 10 in particular it will be seen that each of the tool sections consists of a central rod or arbor 4% having thereon a circumferentially extending raised spiral thread or rib 42 having sharp cutting edges 44 thereon. At one end of each of the sections there is provided an axially extending blade or tongue 46 having an inclined slot 48 therein. At the other end of each section there is provided an axially extending notch or slot t"; there being likewise provided a diametrically disposed bore 52 extending through the arbor and crossing this slot. A locking pin 54', extends transversely through the inclined slot 48 of the tongue es and the bores 52 at the adjacent end of the adjacent tool section to thereby slidably connect these elements together for a limited longitudinal travel which depends 'upon the length of the slot 48.

lt will now be understood that owing to the inclination of the slot 43 with respect to the longitudinal axis of the arbor of the tool sections, relative longitudinal movement of the sections with respect to each other will also effect a corresponding radial displacement of the adjacent sections as will be seen from a comparison of FIGURES 4 and 5. The arrangement is such that when the tool is in its longitudinally extended position, that is with'the upper end of each lower section being moved downwardly with respect to its immediately adjacent upper section so that the pin 54 will engage the upper end of the slot 43, all of the sections of the tool are alined upon the same axis so that the entire tool is in its radially collapsed position thereby having sufficient clearance between the ribs 42 of the tool sections and the walls of the tubing string 12 to permit ready travel of the tool downwardly through the paraffin incrusted tubing string.

zlowever, the arrangement is such that when the sections are collapsed upon each other, as when the tool is resting on the lower end of the tubing string as in dotted lines in FIGURE 1, or as shown in FIGURE 3 the sections will be disposed in radially displaced positions as shown in FIGURE 1, at which time each of the sections will have its spiral rib 42 engaging an adjacent portion of the tubing wall as shown from the radially and rotationally displaced sections of the tool in FIG- URES 69 inclusive. Consequently, when the sections of the tool are in their longitudinally contracted position as shown in FIGURES 3 and 4, the radial and rotational displacement of the sections will cause the ribs 42 of each to engage the circumferentially spaced portions of the tubing string as shown in successive views of FIGURES 6-9 thereby substantially completely obstructing the available flow passage through the tubing. Consequently, when pressure builds .up 'below the tool the latter will be moved as shown by the arrows 20 and during its upward movement the scraping action of those portions of the spiral ribs of each section which engage the adjacent wall of the tubing string will scrape the parafiin therefrom, thereby cutting the parafiin and lifting and forcing the same out and upwardly of the tubing string ahead of the tool.

With four sections as illustrated, the ribs 42 thereon may be so spaced and the disposition of the tongue and slot connection at .6 and 50 may be so positioned rotationally as to cause the sections to be displaced radially outwardly against the tubing at intervals of the circumference of the tubing. This disposition is clearly shown in FIGURES 6-9. Obviously, any desired number of sections may be employed to effect more than one complete circumferential engagement of the cutting edges of the tool with the tubing wall and further other rotationally angular displaced positions of the tool sections with respect to each other may be employed.

It will thus be observed that there is provided a tool which may be longitudinally extended and radially collapsed in order to permit its passage readily downwardly through a parafiin incrusted and coated tubing string. In the event that the string is too incrusted to permit passage of the tool downwardly therethrough, or if it is desired to clear the tubing during downward travel of the tool, a suitable force may be applied at the top of the tool to force the same downwardly thereby resulting in longitudinally contracting the tool, radially expanding the same and effecting a cutting action.

Further, once the tubing is placed at. the bottom of the tubing string, it is then caused to be longitudinally contracted and radially expanded both under its own weight and any force which may be applied to the top of the tool by any suitable means as desired, and also by the build-up of pressure below the tool either through the natural pressure of the formation or through pressures applied to the bottom of the tubing string. Such pressure will then cause the tool to travel upwardly through the tubing string effecting the cleansing action as the tool moves upwardly and cleaning out the paraifin deposits above the same.

In some instances, where it is not deemed advisable to have a single tool capable of sufiicient radial expansion and contraction to enable it to pass down the heavily incrusted paraffin clogged tubing string two or more tools of different sizes may be successively employed to move successive layers of the paraffin until the tubing string is entirely cleansed.

It will thus be apparent that the invention lends itself to ready adaptation to different cleansing problems encountered in parafiin clogged tubing strings and to different methods and procedures for cleansing paraflin from the tubing strings.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A parafiin cleaner for a tubing string comprising elongated rod-like tool having a plurality of sections disposed in end to end relation, means connecting said sections together for relative longitudinal and relative radial movement, said sections being movable between a longitudinally extended axially alined position with the sections being radially contracted and a longitudinally contracted position in which the sections are radially expanded, cutting elements upon the outer surfaces of each section for cutting paraflin from the wall of a tubing string when the tool is moved axially of the tubing string and the sections are in their longitudinally contracted and radially expanded conditions.

2. A parafiin cleaner for tubing comprising a plurality of sections, each section comprising an arbor having circumferentially extending cutting elements upon its peripheral surface, separate means connected to adjacent sections for effecting radial displacement of each section along a difierent radius from that of the displacement of an adjacent section, whereby to cause their cutting elements to be extended in circumferentially spaced positions.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the said cutting elements of each section is circumferentially extending and has a portion only thereof engageable with a paraflin deposit upon the wall of a tubing string.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the adjacent ends of the circumferentially extending cutting elements of a plurality of said sections are overlapping with each other and are engageable with the entire circumferential extent of a paraflin deposit upon the wall of a tubing string.

5. The combination of claim 2 wherein each of said cutting elements is circumferentially extending with which a portion only of each cutting element is engageable with a parafiin deposit upon the wall of a tubing string.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein the adjacent ends of the circumferentially extending cutting elements of a plurality of said sections are overlapping with each other and are engageable with the entire circumferential extent of a paraffin deposit upon the wall of a tubing string.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means includes longitudinally slidable and relatively inclined engaging surfaces on adjacent sections.

8. The combination of claim 2 wherein said means includes longitudinally slidable and relatively inclined engaging surfaces on adjacent sections.

9. The combination of claim 1 wherein said means comprises a pair of cooperating tongue and groove members in adjacent sections, a pin carried by one of said members and an inclined surface on the other of said members slidably engaging said pin whereby relative longitudinal movement of said last mentioned adjacent section effects relative radial displacement thereof.

10. A paratfin cleaner for tubing comprising a plurality of sections, each section comprising an arbor having circumferentially extending cutting elements upon its peripheral surface, means for effecting radial displacement of each section relative to an adjacent section, said means causing displacement of adjacent sections in different radial directions whereby to cause their cutting elements to be extended in circumferentially spaced positions, said means comprising a pair of cooperating tongue and groove members in adjacent sections, a pin carried by one of said members and an inclined surface on the other of said members slidably engaging said pin whereby relative longitudinal movement of said last mentioned adjacent section effects relative radial displacement thereof.

11. A parafiin cleaner for a tubing string comprising an elongated rod-like tool having a plurality of sections disposed in end to end relation, means connecting said sections together for relative longitudinal and relative radial movement, said sections being movable between a longitudinally extended and a longitudinally contracted position, means connecting each section to an adjacent section for effecting a relative radial displacement between adjacent sections when moving between said extended and contracted positions whereby to vary the overall diameter of said tool, cutting elements upon the outer surface of each section for cutting parafiin from the wall of a tubing string when the tool is moved axially therein and the sections are in their radially expanded positions.

12. The combination of claim 11 wherein said connecting means is disposed and housed with adjacent ends of adjacent sections.

13. The combination of claim 11 wherein adjacent ends of adjacent sections are telescopingly engaged for axial and radial sliding movement only.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,423,625 Rogers July 25, 1922 2,203,966 Otis June 11, 1940 2.538,762 Christopher Jan. 23, 1951 

